Choose from two performances each day: 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays at both parks (Sept. 15 and Oct. 20); 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sundays (Sept. 16 and Oct. 21). Tickets are $15 per person, kids under two are free, and group tickets for 20 or more are discounted at $12 each. Tickets are available here for Welles Park and here for Chase Park, along with information on additional dates and parks.

Hosting the big top translates into big bucks for the parks, which share in the proceeds. The event — featuring aerialists, acrobats and “progressive clowns” — raises thousands of dollars that fund programming, equipment and renovations.